Le Masque
by Meum Cerebrum Nocet
Summary: Put on a mask and the person you once were disappears. It creates a magical atmosphere with magical consequences. Scorose.
1. Prologue: The Announcement is Made

_**Summary: **__Put on a mask, and the person you once were disappears. It creates a magical atmosphere with magical consequences. Scorose._

_**A/N: **__Another Halloween fast approaches! Another story to celebrate this spooky time of year!_

_**Disclaimer: **__It was the amazing JKR that created this world; I am simply momentarily inhabiting it._

* * *

**Le Masque**

**Prologue**

**The Announcement is Made**

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_It's not so important who starts the game, but who finishes it._

_~John Wooden_

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**Friday, October 31**

**7:00pm – 12:30am**

**Great Hall**

_**All Hogwarts students, fifth year and above (or those accompanied by a student fifth year or above) are cordially invited to an All Hallow's Eve Masquerade Ball. Please come and enjoy a night of food, music, and general merriment!**_

_**Dress code is formal. Non-Hogwarts students or those who have already graduated strictly prohibited. **_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Headmaster Lipitz**_

* * *

"Oh! My! God!" The shrill scream echoed through the half empty Great Hall. Rose instantly recognized the voice, but as the sleepy students all snapped their heads in the direction of the scream, Rose acted like she didn't know whom it was. However, she was alone amongst her compatriots at the table. Both instantly swiveled their heads in the direction.

"What now?" Rose asked, muttering under her breath. Ella, the other girl at the table, heard Rose's annoyed muttering and turned back to the copper haired girl.

"If you were a little more positive, Carly's antics wouldn't annoy you so much, Rose," Ella, ever the optimist, explained. Had it come from anyone else, it would have sounded stuck up or condescending. From sweet Ella Rosemont, it was simply a matter of fact statement.

"I highly doubt that, Ella, but I'll give it a try," Rose retorted, the last half highly sarcastic. Ella scowled at Rose, but was unable to respond by the arrival of the loud, excitedly bouncing Carly. The eyes that had landed on her when she first screamed out had followed her as she'd made her way throughout the Hall towards the trio of Ravenclaws, and were now boring into the back of Rose's head.

"You'll never guess what's happening," Carly sing-songed as she took a seat next to Rose. In response, the rosette simply tried to ignore her friend and continue to eat her breakfast in peace. Ella, it seemed, had other plans.

"You're probably right, Carly. How about you tell us what has you so excited this early in the morning." Rose looked up from her pancakes and glared at Ella, who simply sat there looking completely innocent.

"Do you have a guess, Alfie?" Carly asked, successfully drawing the sole male of the group into the conversation and creating suspense for her piece of news. Alfie slowly looked up from his thick novel that he had quickly returned to after Carly's dramatic entrance. From the look on his face, it was obvious that he hadn't heard a word that had passed between the girls.

"Guess for what, Carly?" he asked, turning first to Rose then to Ella for answers to what Carly was talking about.

"I found out something amazing that will be happening at Hogwarts in the next few weeks and I want you to try and guess what it is!" Carly excitedly bounced up and down in her seat and giddily clapped her hands. Carly always loved being the first person with information and lauding it over her friends. Rose speculated that Carly enjoyed the power, prestige, and importance that was gained by always being the one with the information.

"You mean the Halloween dance?" Alfie asked, his tone extremely disinterested. Carly, Ella, and Rose all instantly turned to look at him, shock clear on all their faces. Alfie has never been that interested in what was going around him at Hogwarts in terms of social and extra-curricular activities. He was simply at school to learn, not to socialize. Him having information about a social event at the same time as Carly, the social butterfly, or even before her was truly surprising.

"What?! How?! What?! No way! Not possible!" Carly sputtered out through her shock. "How-how-how did you know that? I only heard it from Makayla whose dad is on the board od governors! No one else should know about it!" Carly became more an more hysterical as she spoke.

"There are posters up in the common room Carly," Alfie commented simply, returning to his novel.

"WHAT?!" Carly's second scream echoed once again through out the Great Hall. In the past few minutes that the foursome had been talking, the Hall had rapidly filled with students. Now, they were all staring directly at the small group, wondering what was going on. Carly was a huge drama queen, but the loud, very undignified scream was out of character. What Carly did next didn't help the situation one bit.

Suddenly, Carly stood from the table. She did it with such force that she nearly knocked Rose off their shared bench. She then turned and bolted from the Great Hall. The eyes of the entire population of the Great Hall followed her. Some students even stood from their spots to follow her progress.

Slightly humiliated by it all, Rose, Ella, and Alfie waited a few seconds for some of the heat to die down before they too stood and followed after Carly.

"A dance, huh?" Ella commented as they walked the halls back to the Ravenclaw common room.

"Yeeaaah," Rose commented, dragging out the word, "Should be fun." Sarcasm dripped from every syllable.

* * *

_To be continued_

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_**A/N:**__ Well, there you have it. Let me know what you think so far! _

_This chapter is shorter than the others will be, have no fear!_


	2. Chapter 1: The Preparation Begins

_**Disclaimer: **__It was the amazing JKR that created this world, I am simply momentarily inhabiting it._

* * *

**Le Masque**

**Chapter One**

**The Preparation Begins**

* * *

_Success always comes when preparation meets opportunity_

_~Henry Hartman_

* * *

It started slow at first; the signs were posted throughout the common room to start off. Then they began showing up in larger areas frequented by larger populations of the student body. Finally, they showed up in the Great Hall, classrooms, and nearly every spare piece of wall throughout the entire school. Soon it was all the school could talk about.

Rose was less than interested in it herself. She, much like Alfie though to a lesser extent, was not much of a 'joiner'. Rose focused on academics and only really socialized with a select group of people. For her, a dance was the last thing Rose wanted to spend time at. It was a waste of good studying time; plus she was positive she wouldn't enjoy herself.

There was only one person in the entirety of Hogwarts that she was positive she would enjoy the dance with. That person, Rose was nearly 100% certain, would not be caught dead at the dance. He was much too cool for such a thing.

Rose was walking through the halls, heading to her class, and consumed with thoughts about the dance and the one guy she wished she could go with. She was so oblivious to the outside world that the high-pitched laugh that reverberated throughout the stone halls caused her to jump several feet in the air.

Standing a few metres down the hallway, surrounded by the usual gaggle of girls was the individual who had been occupying her thoughts only seconds before. Without thinking, Rose ducked behind a knight statue and observed the small group.

The male was tall, slightly muscular, and blonde. He had the deepest, most mesmerizing grey eyes she had ever seen. He was one of the most attractive guys she'd ever laid eyes on. From the collection of blonde bimbos surrounding him, it was obvious the rest of the female population agreed with her assessment.

She rolled her eyes as the four girls took turns flipping their hair, batting their eyelashes, touching him, and pushing their breasts against him. For his part, the male seemed unphased by all that was going on around him. Instead, he was focused on one of the posters announcing the dance.

Rose's heart rate quickened. Was he interested in the dance? She thought he would be against it, above it. After all, he was one of the most popular boys in school. He didn't need a school dance to socialize with the student population; he could do it any time or day he wanted. A party would be a waste of time for him. But his focus on the poster suggested otherwise.

"What cha doing, Rosie?" a voice to her left startled her and she turned her focus from the male. Standing off to her right, a confused expression clear on his face, was her cousin Albus. Rose wished she could melt into the wall behind her and be out of the situation all together.

"Just ah- just standing here, Al. What are you doing?" she responded, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.

"Oh, I was just walking down the hall to potions when I saw my favourite cousin ogling my best friend," Al commented, giving Rose a knowing stare.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rose commented tugging on her ear in a nervous habit. Al gave her a look of derision, but turned to continue down the hallway.

"Everyone knows about your infatuation with Scorpius Malfoy, Rosie! You should just admit it. You'd be so much freer," he called over his shoulder, just loud enough that Rose could hear it but not the group down the hall.

Rose simply stood in her enclave, absolutely mortified.

* * *

The Rose that arrived at dinner that night was different than the one who ate breakfast with her small group of friends, and every single one, even aloof Alfie, noticed it. However, as always, it was Carly that vocalized it first.

"You seem chipper, Rosie," Carly stated as she put down her sandwich and gave Rose a look that clearly expressed Carly wanted to know why. Instead, Rose chose to ignore her inquisitive, sometimes to the point of invasive, friend, and busied herself with filling her plate. She could feel Carly's glare boring into the side of her head. However, Rose continued to ignore Carly until the dark haired girl began incessantly poking her.

"Fine Carly! God, you're so annoying! Scorpius may be going to the dance," Rose muttered the last part, but Carly was still able to hear it. Rose figured it was from years of overhearing conversations and listening through the doors for the latest piece of gossip.

"Eeeeee!" Carly squealed. Both Rose and Ella covered their ears at the high-pitched sound.

"Would you keep it down, Carly? I don't want people to know about these things!" Rose spoke through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry, Rosie. I'm just so excited for you! This could be your moment! Both of you in masks, meeting on the dance floor and spending the rest of the evening together! It's so magical and romantic and eeee! I just can't contain myself! I'm so so so so so so excited for you!" Carly wrapped her arms around Rose and pulled her tight, rocking back and forth in the process.

"Dear god, Carly. Take a chill pill. Nothing like that will happen. He's way out of my league," Rose retorted after extricating herself from Carly's tight embrace.

"No one is out of your league, Rosie. You just need a confidence boost and a fantastic dress. Then all the guys will be falling at your feet!" Carly clapped her hands excitedly, grabbed her sandwich and Rose and pulled her out of the door.

"Carly! What about my dinner?" Rose called as she was unceremoniously dragged from the Great Hall.

"We'll visit the kitchens after I find the perfect dress for you!" Carly stated, shutting down all further conversation.

* * *

"I look like a cupcake," Rose deadpanned as she stared at herself in the mirror. Carly had insisted that Rose try on the tulle filled pink monstrosity against Rose's numerous and loud protests.

"But a very cute cupcake!" Carly tried to persuade Rose that the dress looked good on her, but Rose was having none of it.

"The dress, and the other twenty over-the-top ones you've shoved me into one so not my style and therefore, I will never choose them. Do you own anything simple and understated? I know it's not your style, but it's definitely mine." Rose then stepped off the small pedestal Carly had created from her trunk and began taking off the dress. Carly looked thoughtful for several seconds, then bounded off towards her section of the room and began digging though the pile of clothes on her bed.

"Ah ha," Carly exclaimed after several minutes of silent searching. She then returned to Rose's side, her hands and whatever was in them behind her back. "Now I know this is a little more revealing than your usual, but it's the simplest dress I own." Having prefaced the dress in such a way, Rose was hesitant about seeing it. If Carly was calling it revealing, it was probably two thin stripes of fabric that covered the breasts and butt.

Carly slowly and carefully moved her hands to her front and revealed the most gorgeous, and not all that revealing, navy blue bandage dress Rose had ever seen. Instantly, she moved towards it and grabbed it in her hands.

"This dress is-" Rose couldn't finish her sentence and instead moved to put it on.

"I know, Rosie; I'm fantastic!" Carly stated, her already large ego growing even bigger. Rose just rolled her eyes and put on the dress.

* * *

In the hour before 7:30 pm of October 31, the doomroom of the seventh-year Ravenclaw girls was thrown into utter chaos. The normally calm Ella and Rose were swept up in Carly's frantic preparations and were busy running around the room like chickens with their heads cut off. Carly was, as usual, running back between the large floor length mirror and her large collection of make up in the bathroom. Ella was busily digging through the communal pile of dresses and other fancy clothing, trying to figure out what to ear that night. Rose was going through Carly's large collection of shoes trying to find the Goldilocks pair, the pair that were not too high, not too over-the-top, and matched her dress.

Finally, at 7:30 pm, Ella removed herself from the chaos by sitting on her bed and opening her book. She'd chosen a flowy emerald dress that belonged to Carly and quickly finished off her outfit and makeup. Rose wished she could have been as quick and decisive, but as Ella sat and quietly read her book Rose was still wading through the shoes that had been piled to one side.

Finally, Rose found the shoes that she'd been looking for and turned to look for Carly. The dark haired girl was, by far, the best of the group at girly things like makeup. Rose sucked at makeup and wanted this night to be perfect so she had made Carly promise to help her.

"Carly!" Rose's pleading voice halted the frantic progress of Carly, "I need your help. I can't do make up half as well as you." Rose made her best puppy dog eyes, hoping Carly wasn't to far gone into her preparation psychosis and could actually help. As soon as Rose finished her request, Carly became alert and focused.

"Of course I can help, Rosie. Come to the bathroom; there's better light." Carly then turned to her heel and disappeared up a small set of stairs that led to the adjoining bathroom.

Alfred Hughes sat in a plush navy chair in the Ravenclaw common room, awaiting the arrival of his three best, and if he was being honest, only, friends. If he had a choice in the situation he would be spending the evening alone or with a book. Sadly, his hormones had decided his evening for him and now he was forced to go to a dance that he most certainly wouldn't enjoy. Now, all he wanted was to get through the night, not make a complete fool in front of her, and then curl up in bed with a book.

Suddenly, a light, tinkling giggle sounded from the girls' stairs. Alfred looked up and felt his mouth drop open. Coming down the stairs, looking absolutely stunning, were Carly, Ella, and Rose. Alfred was lucky they didn't notice him at first and he was able to recollect himself.

"You-you-you look amazing," he managed to get out. She blushed bright red and then quietly responded.

"Thanks."

* * *

_To be continued_

* * *

_**A/N: **__Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know!_


	3. Chapter 2: The Entrances are Heralded

_**Disclaimer:**__ It was the amazing JKR that created this world; I am simply momentarily inhabiting it._

* * *

**Le Masque**

**Chapter Two**

**The Entrances are Heralded**

* * *

_Everyone is waiting for your entrance, so don't disappoint them_

_~Black and White, Sarah McLachlan_

* * *

"You-you-you look amazing," Alfie stuttered, blushing bright read and looking down at the end of his confession. Rose could tell that the worlds had sort of gotten away from him; he hadn't meant to say them. Alfie had been dancing around his feelings for years and now he'd gone and basically shouted it from the rooftops. Instantly, Alfie began cursing himself under his breath and turning redder and redder with every passing second.

Rose quietly chuckled at him. She had been a little suspicious when Albus had stated that everyone knew she had a crush on Scorpius, but she knew that everyone knew who Alfie fancied. Rose had been extremely careful to ensure that her feelings were completely concealed whenever Scorpius was around or even mentioned. Alfie was a different story. He wore his emotions on his sleeve and all over her face. His crush on Ella had been apparent to everyone since third year when it started. On some level, Ella even knew it, but she chose to ignore the fact, feeling herself unworthy of male attention.

For years, Rose and Carly had tried to make the shy, bookish dark-haired girl see reason, but their efforts had been in vain. Ella had dug in and decided she wasn't going to change her mind. Ella whole-heartedly believed that Alfie had no feelings for her beyond platonic friendship.

However, when Alfie had complemented her outfit, something very out of character for him, Rose saw something change in Ella's face. Realization and clarity flashed across her visage for a few seconds before quickly being replaced by a nervous blush. Rose inwardly smiled, hoping the best for her friends.

"Thanks," Ells responded, staring at her shoes. Rose began glowing at her friends' adorable interaction. Carly did not feel the same way.

"That's enough, love birds. We've gotta get a move on before all the good or even halfway decent tables are taken and we're stuck in the back or right by the band. Not good!" Carly exclaimed, pulling down her intricate mask and then grabbing Ella and Alfie's wrists and pulling them out of the common room. The pair put up minimal fight, simply pulled down their own masks and allowed Carly to drag them out. Rose rolled her eyes at her friends, but followed along anyway.

* * *

The Great Hall, in the few hours since lunch had been absolutely and completely transformed. The house banners and colours had been replaced with black and orange. Differently carved Jack-O-Lanterns magically hovered over the students' heads. The house tables had been replaced with smaller tables, each decorated with fall colours and fallen leaves magically preserved.

When Rose walked in, she felt her mouth fall open and had to fight to get it back closed. It all looked exactly like what Rose imagined Halloween, as a concept and not a day, would look like. She sort of floated around, taking in all the decorations and whatnot. She was brought back to earth by Carly's shrill voice.

"Score!" Carly exclaimed, jumping up and down and clapping her hands in excitement. Rose chuckled at her friends' antics. "Best table here!" Carly grabbed Rose's wrist and unceremoniously dragged the auburn haired girl through the Great Hall to a table right next to the dance floor and a good distance from the band. Rose momentarily contemplated Carly's obsession with dragging people places instead of letting them walk on their own, but quickly let it go.

Carly claimed the table as theirs by plopping down into the red-brown chair and motioned for Rose to do the same. Rose sent Carly an exacerbated expression, one that was perpetually on the red-haired girl's face when Carly was around. However, as annoying as Rose found her friend, she took the seat Carly was motioning to. The two instantly turned away from each other and began focusing on the sizable percentage of the student body that was milling around.

Even though the dance had been scheduled to start at 7:00, the faculty knew the students of Hogwarts and had booked the band to start promptly at 7:30. That gave the students a half an hour to do their 'fashionably late' thing and not miss too much of the festivities. In the meantime, the staff was softly playing the latest popular music.

Rose eagerly scanned the crowd, looking for the familiar shock of nearly bleach blonde hair. She knew that the masquerade aspect of this dance would make recognizing even the people she saw on a daily basis difficult. She just hoped she'd be able to recognize his hair, it being so unique. Rose always scanned the crowd for his hair whenever she was at an event, function, or location where she might have the slightest change of seeing him. She found a spot with a good view of the area, set herself up, and began hopefully looking for Scorpius and his familiar hair.

She had been certain he would be coming to the dance. No one paid that much attention to a poster announcing an event they had no interest in. However, as she scanned the ever-increasing crowd of students, she could not located the bright blonde hair. Her heart started sinking.

"Ha!" Carly suddenly exclaimed. It sounded almost involuntary. Rose, instantly rejuvenated and excited, turned in the direction Carly was looking. If Rose had stopped to think about it, Carly would not be excited to see Scorpius; she could care less about the Malfoy. However, in that instance, Rose still excitedly scanned the crowd looking for his blonde hair. Instead, she found a familiar looking mop of dark black hair. When he got closer Rose could see the familiar blue eyes through his simple mask.

Carly hadn't been excited because she'd found Scorpius. She'd been excited because she'd found her boyfriend, Stewart.

Rose's heart fell.

"Hey, babe," Stewart spoke as he took a seat next to Carly. Seconds after, the pair had locked lips and were engaging in large amounts of PDA. Rose, felling awkward and like a third wheel, turned back to the crowd. However, this time her heart wasn't completely in it. It was nearly 7:30 and the official start of the dance, yet there was no sign of Scorpius Malfoy or any other member of his usual gang anywhere.

Rose was just debating leaving and going back to bed, when the doors to the Great Hall were flung open. The loudly crashed against the stone walls and drew the attention of nearly the entire population of the Hall.

Rose's heart skipped a beat.

Standing in the open doorway, amongst a group of five or six other people, was none other than Scorpius Malfoy, identifiable even with his eyes and half his face covered by an elegant white mask. He looked absolutely spectacular in his crisp black dress robes. A smile instantly spread across Rose's face as she took in the sight of Scorpius standing in the Great Hall doorway.

Seconds after entering the crowded Great Hall, Scorpius began scanning the crowd. For a millisecond, Rose allowed herself to think that he was searching for her. However, she shut down that thought before it could lead to her raising her ropes and eventually being heartbroken when it turned out not to be the case.

When Albus, who Rose recognized because of his trademark messy black hair, stepped up and whispered something in Scorpius' ear, pointing in her direction as he did so, her hope rose despite her best efforts. Could Scorpius be looking for her? Could he want to spend time with her? Want to dance with her? The fact that it was Al who was whispering and pointing made her feel even more confident.

Scorpius nodded, obviously finding what he was looking for or whatever Al was pointing out. He then began moving through the crowd, heading in the direction of Rose. Her heart began beating faster and faster with each step he took that brought him closer to her. It nearly burst out of her chest when he stopped only a few feet from her.

Then it all came crashing down. Scorpius did not stop in front of her, didn't even glance in her direction. Instead, he simply continued on passed her. As inconspicuously as she could, Rose turned to follow his progress. He finally stopped in front of a table of giggling blonde haired girls and, after talking to them for a few seconds, took a seat amongst them.

Rose couldn't believe how stupid she'd been. Of course he would go for the giggly, bimbo girls. That was his type, was the sort of girl he normally associated with. She was definitely not giggle, or blonde and therefore would most likely never even cross Scorpius' dating radar.

Rose sighed sadly and sat back in her chair. She, with great effort, pulled her vision from the table with Scorpius and the blonde bimbos. Instead, she focused on the pair, their arms interlaced, who was making their way across the dance floor. Both Ella and Alfie, the pair Rose was now focusing on, had huge smiles on their face. Their happiness softened Rose's hurt a little.

"Where have you been?" Carly asked, having detached herself from Stewart. Alfie and Ella looked at each other and chuckled slightly.

"We were on the dance floor," Ella responded coyly, pulling out and taking the chair beside Rose. Alfie took the chair beside Ella, a goofy smile on his face. Rose's focus went from the budding romance of Ella and Alfie, to the madly-in-love-can't-keep-their-hands-off-each-other Carly and Stewart.

She sighed sadly and internally wished that she could find happiness like her friends' had.

* * *

_To be continued_

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_**A/N: **__Drop me a review please!_


	4. Chapter 3: The Dancing Commences

_**Disclaimer: **__It was the amazing JKR that created this world; I am simply momentarily inhabiting it._

* * *

**Le Masque **

**Chapter Three**

**The Dancing Commences**

* * *

_Dancing is a perpendicular expression of horizontal desire._

_~George Bernard Shaw_

* * *

Rose looked down at her watch for the twentieth time since she'd arrived at the dance nearly two hours prior. She'd been so excited to attend the dance, imaging all the different scenarios that resulted in her dancing the night away in the arms of Scorpius Malfoy. That excitement evaporated the minute Scorpius arrived and situated himself amongst the most airheaded, idiotic girls in the entire school. Now, she was debating how long social norms dictated she had to stay at the party before she could leave and curl up in bed with a book.

It was currently 8:47 and Rose figured two hours was enough of an appearance to justify her effort in getting dressed and picking out the right mask. All she had left was to kill ten minutes and then slink off. She hadn't danced yet, had simply sat at the table and people watched, but that didn't phase her. Yes, it was a dance, and dancing was the main activity, but Rose wasn't a dance and felt no compelling need to get up and 'shake her stuff.' She was perfectly content sitting at the table, watching the crowd and trying to guess who was behind what mask.

Both Carly, and surprisingly, Ella had tried to convince Rose to get up and dance. She didn't have to dance with a guy; the three of them could dance as a group. She needed to dance for at least one song. What was the point of getting dressed up and doing her hair and make up if she was just going to sit at the table?

None of the tactics the girls tried were working and eventually they gave up. Rose had insisted that they all go and enjoy themselves; leave her to her solitary moping. However, they didn't seem to want to leave her alone and so Carly and Ella rotated going out and dancing, with sitting at the table and talking to Rose.

Rose looked down at her watch for the twenty-first time. 8:50 pm. Ten more minutes exactly. She turned to Ella and Alfie, who were currently on Rose babysitting duty while Carly and Stewart enjoyed the first slow song of the evening.

"You guys should go out and enjoy the dancing," Rose commented.

"But then you'll be all alone and I'll feel like an awful friend," Ella responded, reaching across the table and taking Rose's hands in a comforting motion.

"Well, I was going to knock off in ten minutes anyway, so it won't be that bad if you leave me alone," Rose stated nonchalantly. Ella drew her hands away in surprise, but it was Alfie's reaction that got Rose's attention. As soon as she'd made her statement, he'd stood with such speed and force that he sent his chair banging to the floor.

"What? No! Not acceptable!" Alfie exclaimed, banging his hands on the table. Rose, before responding to his extremely out of character outburst, took a quick survey of the crowd around them. Thankfully, the bands' music was so loud that very few people had heard the chair or Alfie.

"Alfie, calm down. It's no big deal, honestly. There's only two and a half hours left in the dance anyway," Rose commented, waving her hand in a dismissive manner.

"That's a fair amount of time," Elle added quietly. Rose shot her a 'not helping' look. Ella simply smiled sheepishly back at Rose.

"I refuse to let you come to a dance and not actually dance," Alfie stated.

"Let me?" Rose asked, slightly disgusted at the implication in that statement. Alfie had no control over Rose or what she did.

"Yes Rose, let you." Alfie then ended all discussion on the matter by walking to Rose, grabbing her hand, and pulling her out of her chair.

"Alfie!" Rose exclaimed, startled at his action. She tried to put up protest, but unfortunately, her shoes had very little traction and she just slid along behind him. Rose decided that, if she couldn't stop him from dragging her out onto the dance floor, she'd wait until he released her hand and would then head back to the table. She'd already made up her mind not to dance and nothing was going to change that.

"I'm not going to dance, Alfie. I just want to get out of here and curl up with a good book. This evening is already a waste, why continue it any further?" Rose said the last part under her breath. She didn't think Alfie had heard anything, but his actions following her words seemed to imply something different.

They arrived on the dance floor and Rose prepared to turn on her heel and leave. However, Alfie didn't let her go and simply changed from pulled her by her hand to holder her in a traditional waltz hold in a single motion.

"I'm here to make you enjoy it tonight, whether you want to or not! You girls put in way too much effort getting ready and whatnot to spend only two hours here. Especially since most of it was just sitting! I don't know what happened to sour your mood, but I'm here to uplift it." He then began dragging Rose in a small square as the music continued to be soft and waltzy.

After several minutes, Rose relented and began actually dancing with Alfie. He smiled slightly at her when he noticed he was no longer dragging her. She simply playfully scowled up at him.

"I appreciate it, Alfie. I honestly do. I just don't think anything you can do will uplift my mood. I'm upset over something silly and I just need to get over it," Rose commented, still trying to let Alfie let her slink off to bed.

"Heartbreak and destruction of hopes and dreams isn't silly, Rose. And I'm sure I can uplift your mood; you just need to get your mind off that idiotic blonde. Then you'll actually enjoy yourself." Alfie finished his statement by spinning Rose around a few times. Despite her best efforts, a small giggle escaped from her lips.

Alfie pulled Rose back to him and momentarily held her close, whispering in her ear.

"Told you I could uplift you mood." Rose rolled her eyes at him, but continued dancing with him, slowly starting to enjoy herself.

* * *

Nine o'clock came and went by nearly half an hour before Rose even realized it. After the slow song had ended and the music picked back up, Rose and Alfie were joined by Ella. The trio danced along to the upbeat songs, acting like fools and enjoying themselves immensely. They were eventually joined by Carly and Stewart and the small group continued dancing around to the bands fast paced songs.

A little over half an hour after Alfie had initially dragged Rose out onto the dance floor, the band began playing another slow song. Instantly, Carly and Stewart began dancing together, leaving the other three standing around awkwardly. Rose could tell that Alfie and Ella wanted to dance together, but were holding back in deference to Rose.

"I'm going to get a drink. You two dance and I'll be back when the song picks back up. I promise," Rose added the last part after the look Alfie gave her. She made her way through the crowd towards one of the long house tables that had been pushed to the side of the hall and ladened with food and beverages.

Rose poured herself some indiscriminate red punch and was turning back to watch the couples slow dance when she collided with someone. Her arm was bumped up and her punch was spilt down the front of her dress.

"Shit! I'm so sorry!"

* * *

_To be continued_

* * *

_**A/N: **__Oooooooooh! What's gonna happen next! (Shameless self-promotion to keep you reading :P)_

_Review please!_


	5. Chapter 4: The Magic Arrives

_**Disclaimer: **__It was the amazing JKR that created this world; I am simply momentarily inhabiting it._

* * *

**Le Masque**

**Chapter Four**

**The Magic Arrives**

* * *

_There's entirely too much charm around, and something must be done to stop it._

_~Dorothy Parker_

* * *

Rose stood before one of the large wood tables, surveying the massive amount of food that covered its surface. In her six years at Hogwarts, Rose had been to many a feast, yet she was positive she'd never seen so much food on the table before. There was so much choice before her and she was having a hard time deciding. She'd told Ella and Alfie she wanted a drink, but now, as she stood looking at the piled and platters of food, she felt as if she could eat it all.

Before she could act on her impulse, her self-control kicked in and she started looking for her original desire, a drink. She finally found a large bowl filled with some sort of red punch at one end of the table. She made a beeline for it, hoping to get there before some delicious treat distracted her again.

She poured herself some of the undetermined red punch, careful not to spill any on her nice dress, especially since she'd borrowed it from Carly. Having completed her task, and not wanted to be tempted anymore by the table of food, Rose carefully turned to face the crowd. Besides reading, people watching was Rose's favourtie past time. She was just finishing her turn and settling in to a prime people watching position when she collided with someone to her right and spilled the contents of her glass down her front and all over Carly's dress.

"Shit! I'm so sorry!" a deep, velvety male voice exclaimed to Rose's right. Rose was to busy fretting over the dress to see with whom she'd collided. She didn't look up when he spoke, instead she simply flopped her hands frantically, trying to dry the liquid on her dress. She'd left her wand at the table and therefore had no magical way of rectifying the situation. Thus, the hand flapping.

Suddenly, the dark red punch stain vanished from her dress. Shocked, Rose turned to her right and encountered the most dazzling grey eyes she'd ever seen. The sight caused Rose's highly intelligent, pristine functioning brain to malfunction and all thoughts ceased.

"Heh," Rose let out without even realizing it. Standing this close to Scorpius Malfoy was seriously affecting her mental processes and making her look like a complete idiot.

"I'm really sorry! –Didn't realize. –So close. –Focusing on food. –Totally my fault. –Ruined dress. –Full responsibility for replacement." Scorpius was rambling. Words were pouring out of his mouth quicker than Rose could comprehend and, as a result, she was only getting short fragments. Scorpius' obvious fluster kick-started Rose's brain; she couldn't believe she'd had such an effect on the normally collected blonde haired wizard.

"It's fine. Not even my dress," Rose responded, smiling sweetly up at Scorpius. Inside, she was doing a happy jig at Scorpius' completely out of character behavior.

"Well," Scorpius responded, obviously having collected himself once more. Rose couldn't see all of his face, because of his mask, but she was certain that she saw slight pink tinge to his pale cheeks. "I still fell I owe you something. If not a new dress, how about a dance?"

"I don't dance," Rose responded, before she could think through what had just transpired. It was her natural gut response to the question, but not what she wanted to say to Scorpius. The minute they left her mouth, she regretted it. Here was the _one thing_ she'd wanted all night, had put her in a terrible mood when she'd through it would never happen, and she'd gone and turned it down. "I mean, I don't dance well." Rose turned beat red and looked down at the floor in embarrassment. Scorpius simply chuckled.

"Well, I've been told I'm a decent dancer. Maybe I could help you," Scorpius stated, his words made to sound no more than a statement of facts. Not only was Scorpius intelligent, good-looking, and well liked, but he was also humble as well.

"It may take more than a decent dancer to help me," Rose responded playfully. The statement surprised her; she had never been able to even compose complete thoughts in Scorpius' presence before, let alone playfully banter. Instantly, Rose's always working mind began searching for an answer. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that it took several seconds for her to realize that Scorpius had grabbed her hand and was leading her out onto the dance floor.

Deciding that this experience, finally getting the opportunity to dance with the guy she'd been obsessed with for over three years, was more important than the cause of her sudden confidence, Rose focused in on what was happening. The slow song that had begun before Rose left to get a drink had finished, but the band struck up another one, giving the couples on the dance floor another opportunity to hold each other close and slowly sway to the beat. After finding a space on the surprisingly full dance floor, Scorpius placed a hand on Rose's waist, causing the auburn haired girl to blush red, and took her other hand in his. He then slowly and carefully began leading Rose in a waltz, making a small square.

Rose was on an emotional high. Even though they weren't moving very fast, Rose got a thrill every time Scorpius twirled her. Her skin tingled every time he touched her. Her mind swam with pure ecstasy. Even though there was a fair distance between them, Rose was overjoyed at simply being in Scorpius arms. He hadn't slow danced with any of the blondes he'd been with earlier, hadn't held them in his arms and twirled them around. Rose was the only one he'd danced with like that.

Rose was so high she felt like she was floating on air.

The slow song ended much to soon for Rose's liking. The band quickly struck up a fast-paced, bubbly song as the final notes of the previous slow song faded from the air. Scorpius slowly released Rose from his waltz hold, smiling down at her. Rose took it as a cue to leave and made to head back to wherever Alfie and Ella had gotten to. However, before she could get more than a few steps away, Scorpius' arm shot out and his hand closed around her wrist.

"Is my dancing that bad? Here I was thinking myself a pretty good dancer," Scorpius spoke, his voice filled with mock hurt. Rose chuckled lightly to herself.

"I thought I wouldn't subject you to any more of my terrible dancing," Rose responded coyly.

"Well, I insist you continue to subject me to it. After all, I did cause you to spill your drink." Rose, using more of her newfound confidence playfully punched him on the arm for his comment, but halted her search for her friends. She was perfectly content to spend all the time to the end of her days in Scorpius Malfoy's presence.

* * *

_To be continued_

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_**A/N: **__Let me know what you think so far!_


	6. Chapter 5: The Gardens Come Alive

_**Disclaimer: **__It was the amazing JKR that created this world; I am simply momentarily inhabiting it._

* * *

**Le Masque**

**Chapter Five**

**The Gardens Come Alive**

* * *

_Romance is a love affair in other than domestic surroundings _

_~Sir Walter Raleigh_

* * *

Ever since she was four and tripped in front of her entire family at some distant relatives' wedding, Rose had hated dancing. She's avoided it at all costs and had only stepped onto dance floors since then against her will and better judgment. However, after only dancing with Scorpius for twenty minutes, she began rethinking the past twelve years and her dance moratorium. She had never had so much fun or felt so carefree. Rose didn't want the evening to end; she wanted to continue dancing with Scorpius for the rest of the night.

The current song ended with the drummer banging the symbols and Scorpius effortlessly twirling Rose. However, instead of the next song starting up right away. The entire population turned from their partners to look up at the band. All of the members were busy putting down their instruments. The lead singer then stepped up to the mic and cleared his throat.

"We're gonna take a quick break. Have some of the delicious food that's been prepared for you. We'll be back on in half an hour." Having finished his announcement, he waved his wand and the instruments began playing songs lightly in the background. Rose's mood dropped. She no longer had a reason to be with Scorpius, at least not one she could devise of with such short notice. Instead, Rose simply turned to leave once more.

And once more, she was stopped by a hand on her wrist. Butterflies instantly formed in her stomach and a smile crossed her face. Her evening was the most amazing and most awesome one she'd ever had.

"Trying to leave again?" Scorpius asked. His tone was light and joking, but Rose thought she heard a very faint tinge of sadness. She turned to face him, but didn't see anything on his face, the little that wasn't obstructed by the mask. She brushed the thought away, thinking she must have been hearing things.

"Well," Rose said, thinking quickly on her feet, "I am getting quite hungry. I was going to go get something to eat, maybe find a table and rest my feet. Generally wait out the time until the band starts up again." Scorpius didn't look like he believed her rushed explanation, but didn't comment on it.

"Food sounds really good," Scorpius commented. He then turned towards the food table and, without loosing contact with her, moved his hand from her wrist to clasping her hand. Another smile burst across her face and Rose dazedly allowed Scorpius to pull her towards the food-laden tables.

As soon as Rose was situated in front of food, her stomach started grumbling and intense hunger nearly overwhelmed her. She quickly moved forward, gathering food onto a plate. After five minutes, Rose turned to try and relocate Scorpius. She had been so consumed by gathering food that she'd lost track of him.

"Oh my," a voice called from behind. She turned slowly, not wanting to spill her sizable pile of food. Standing a few steps behind her was none other than Scorpius Malfoy with the widest eyes Rose had ever seen. She had never been the type of girl to stress over the amount of food she consumed, especially not in front of boys. However, the look on Scorpius' face gave her pause for a moment.

"I told you I was hungry," Rose stated simply. Scorpius chuckled at her statement. He then turned, his much smaller plate balanced on one hand, and began making his way through the tables. Rose followed at first, assumed Scorpius had a table they could sit at. Then the implication of that fact hit her with full force and she paused in her progress.

Sitting at Scorpius' table would mean sitting with his friends. His friends included her favourite cousin, and childhood best friend, Albus. Albus would instantly know who she was and, if she wasn't careful, he would let her identity slip to Scorpius. He wouldn't do it on purpose; Albus wasn't an ass. Once Scorpius knew who she was, he would loose all interest in her and her perfect night would be destroyed.

She couldn't have that.

"Wow, all these tables sure are full. I don't know if we'll be able to find an empty one," Rose hesitantly spoke, testing the waters to see what Scorpius' reaction would be.

"That not going to be a problem," Scorpius responded cryptically. Rose was still beyond nervous, having none of her concerns addressed. However, she continued to follow Scorpius as he confidently made his way through the crowds of people and copious tables. With each step that brought her closer to the table filled with Scorpius' Slytherin friends –and a few of the Slytherin sluts- Rose's heart dropped closer and closer to the floor. Rose saw Scorpius friendly nod at Albus and watched the dark haired male move, as if to make room for the pair.

And then Scorpius walked right past the table and continued on, as if making his way out towards the lawn. Rose's nervousness instantly turned to confusion and curiosity. If they weren't sitting with Albus, and nearly all of the other tables were full, where would they be sitting? Rose was used to having all the answers. Being left in the dark was an uncomfortable feeling for her.

"Umm, not to prod too much, but where are we going? Not that it matters; it's just that I'm getting rather hungry and I'm hoping it's not too far of a walk. I would like to eat this delicious food before it requires a warming spell or a reheating spell. Food is always best when it's warm and fresh-"

"You talk a lot," Scorpius spoke, breaking Rose's nervous rant. When Rose was feeling uncomfortable, she began to spew words like they were vomit. It was an incredibly annoying habit that Rose had spent countless hours trying to stop. And in that moment, all Rose wanted was to melt into the crowd and cease to exist.

"Only when I'm nervous," Rose muttered to herself. She hadn't intended for Scorpius to hear it, but the smile on Scorpius' face as she turned back around told her otherwise. Rose was quickly starting to regret ever coming out that night.

"And, in answer to your slew of questions about where we will be eating," Scorpius stopped talking and stepped aside, motioning out the doors towards the garden. Rose had been so concerned with her own issues that she hadn't even realized that they'd left the crowded dance floor and filled tables behind.

"Out there?" Rose asked incredulously. Scorpius honestly wanted to go out and eat in the gardens! Besides the fact that it was the end of October and most likely bitterly cold out, the gardens were dark, secluded, and, dare she say it, romantic. Would he really want to take her, a stranger for all intents and purposes, out to such a romantic location?

Rose's evening had been such a rollercoaster of emotions that she had no idea what to think. Scorpius was looking at her expectantly and Rose could tell he wanted her to go, but that didn't make her decision any easier.

She looked back into the Great Hall for a sign that pointed her in one direction or the other. Almost instantly, Rose's eyes landed on the table with her friends. They were looking back at her, almost as if they were silently edging her forward. Rose took a deep breath and then turned back to Scorpius.

"Lead on," Rose responded. Scorpius chuckled, but continued on nonetheless. The pair stepped out into the cool late fall air and Rose felt her breath escape her. She'd been out in the gardens countless times before, in all seasons and during all times of the day. Never before had they seemed so magical.

Rose took a moment to simply enjoy the moment and the environment. She let all her previous emotions fall away and stepped out into the grounds with Scorpius, ready for whatever the night brought.

* * *

_To be continued_

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_**A/N: **__Only a few more chapters to go! Hope you've enjoyed it so far! Review and let me know!_


	7. Chapter 6: Something Amazing Happens

_**Disclaimer:**__ It was the amazing JKR that created this world; I am simply momentarily inhabiting it._

* * *

**Le Masque**

**Chapter Six**

**Something Amazing Happens**

* * *

_Kiss me and you'll see how important I am_

_~Sylvia Plath_

* * *

Rose readjusted her mask, having trouble eating with it on. It inhibited her vision, even more in the dark of the late October night, and kept getting in the way as she attempted to eat her sandwich. She wished she could just take the blasted thing off, but she knew that taking it off would cause her more trouble than leaving it on. At this point, she was almost positive Scorpius had no idea who she was. She didn't want to go through whatever his reaction would be when he found out exactly who she was. Right now, she was a mysterious copper haired girl in a blue dress and intricate blue mask. She was confident, flirtatious, and vivacious. Once the mask came off, she would go back to being quite, plain-Jane Rose Weasley. In that moment, she needed the mask to make her interesting enough that Scorpius would want to spend time with her.

"Hu hu hu hu," Scorpius chuckled, watching Rose attempt to eat her food, "why don't you just loose the mask? It'll make it easier." Rose thought she heard hope in his voice; hope that he'd find out who she was? She wasn't sure what the hope was, or if it was even there in the first place. All she did know was that she definitely wouldn't be taking off her mask, no matter what sort of hope Scorpius' voice held.

"Rules state masks need to stay on until midnight," Rose began, not even worried that her very Rose statement would tip Scorpius off about who she was until after it had escaped her lips. She quickly scrambled for some way to cover it up. "You'll just have to wait until then for the mystery of my identity to be revealed."

Rose held her breath, hoping that her last ditch effort would be enough to keep her identity secret. She tried to make her last statement as flirtatious and coy as possible. After a few quick seconds, Scorpius playfully scowled at her. She let out her breath in relief.

"Aren't you miss goody two-shoes," he playfully ribbed. For a split second, Rose panicked that she hadn't done as good a job at hiding herself as she'd thought. However, Scorpius' face contained no look of sudden insight or realization so Rose figured she was safe for the time being. She just had to be extra careful going forward not to say anything to Rose-like that would alert him to who she really was.

"Following the rules is only a means to increasing intrigue. If I take off my mask now, all the mystery of this evening is gone. Waiting until the appropriate time to remove the masks makes it much more magical. It really has nothing to do with the rules, but all about the mystery. After all, this is All Hallow's Eve, a very mysterious time. I'm just continuing on the tradition of it all." Rose finished her little rant and returned to her food. She expected Scorpius to comment, respond, or generally acknowledge her words. Instead, she was met with silence.

Rose hesitantly looked up, wondering if Scorpius was even still sitting beside her. His silence could have easily been because, at some point during her rant, he had simply stood up and left. That wasn't the case and Scorpius was still beside her, but he had a silly smile on his face. Instantly, Rose became self-conscious.

"What?" she asked, turning beat red and looking down, no longer able to hold his amused gaze. She was hoping and praying that she hadn't made herself look like a complete idiot in front of him. Even if he didn't know who she was thanks to her mask, she still had a lot riding on him having a good impression of her. She couldn't hid behind her mask forever; eventually it would have to come off.

"Your rambling," Scorpius chuckled slightly. Rose continued looking down, more mortified with every second that passed. Of all of her imperfections, her incessant and often pointless rambling, was the one she disliked the most. She did it when she was nervous, excited, angry, or annoyed. Basically anytime she was in a heightened emotional state. As much as she tried to stop her rambling tendencies, she'd never been able to completely rid herself of them. And now, she'd gone and idiotically rambled in front of the one guy she'd been pining after for years. She wished she'd never gotten dressed for the evening and simply stayed in bed and read.

"Yeah. I know. I'm sorry. Nervous habit," Rose responded. She had to bite her tongue to stop herself from saying anymore. This was, by far, the most nervous she'd ever been in her entire life; she had to fight extra hard to keep herself from spewing her guts.

"Don't apologize," Scorpius spoke, his voice filled with mirth, "I think it's quite adorable." Instantly, Rose's head shot upwards, surprise etched clearly across her face. Her eyes widened to a comical size as her brain, addled by the various emotional twists she'd experienced that evening, tried to make sense of what had just happened.

"You- what?" Rose asked. She looked down and shook her head slightly, trying to clear her mind. In the past five minutes, she'd gone from the fear of having revealed herself with her words, to comfort in the notion that she hadn't, and back to fear. Then she'd gone and embarrassed herself in front of Scorpius, and now come to hear that he thought her rambling was adorable. It was almost too much for her to take.

Scorpius, for what felt like the millionth time that night, chuckled at her. Rose just continued to look away. She needed to keep her mind clear so she could focus on the moment and figure out what exactly she was thinking and feeling.

In her moment of inner turmoil, Rose suddenly felt something on her right hand. She looked down at the side where her hand hung, fisted into a ball as a result from her concentration. She saw Scorpius' hand, tracing gentle circles on the top of her hand. She relaxed her hand out of its fisted position, but made no other movements. She simply sat still, watching him draw on her hand.

"You seem really tense all of a sudden," Scorpius commented. Slowly, Rose raised her head and looked directly into his deep grey eyes. Instantly, Rose felt the confusion and turmoil from her emotional struggles melt away. She wasn't worried about how she was appearing to him, or how he was thinking of her.

He'd always had that effect on her. From their first real encounter in the hallways of Hogwarts during their first year, Scorpius had an uncanny ability to calm Rose down. That first instance, she found herself haplessly lost in the maze of hallways and corridors. Scorpius had walked up to her and offered her aid and a kind look. That kind look had calmed Rose's racing heart and mind and she was quickly able to find her way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. It had been the first thing, besides her father's words on Platform 9¾ that had drawn her to him. She had always been high strung; anyone who could completely and utterly relax her was someone she wanted to know.

That was the first thing she'd learned about Scorpius, and every other thing that she learned about his had only made her want to know more. From that day on, she'd tried to get to now him and spend as much time with him –or at least in his presence- as possible. For the first few years, it had been a fairly easy task. Scorpius had spent most of his time amongst the books of the library, just like Rose. Then, slowly, he spent fewer and fewer hours in the library, and more and more with giggling, idiotic blondes.

Rose frowned at the memory and Scorpius obviously noticed. He ceased his tracing and instead, lifted his hand to the side of her face and brushed away a stray hair.

"You okay?" he asked, true concern clouding his voice. As he asked, he held her eyes and appeared to be looking into her soul. Butterflies exploded in her stomach at the intimate moment.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired," she answered, her voice airy and distracted. Without really noticing it, she began leaning in towards him. He responded in king. Within a few seconds, only the smallest of spaces separated them. Rose took a breath to savor the moment. Then she took the plunge.

* * *

_To be continued_

* * *

_**A/N: **__Only two more chapters and then this tale comes to an end. Let me know what you thought!_


	8. Chapter 7: The Magic Fades

_**Disclaimer: **__It was the amazing JKR that created this world; I am simply momentarily inhabiting it._

* * *

**Le Masque**

**Chapter Seven**

**The Magic Fades**

* * *

_Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he will tell the truth._

_~Oscar Wilde_

* * *

Rose was on cloud nine, as the cliché went. Throughout her rollercoaster night of emotional highs and lows, she had yet to feel ecstasy quite like she did in that moment. She was on such a high that she wasn't sure she'd ever make it back to solid ground. In that moment, one of her most prevalent dreams of the past few years had come true.

The kiss was short, chaste. It lasted half a minute at the longest, but to Rose it could have been half an hour. She'd spent countless hours lost in thought, imagining that moment, even times when she should have been listening in class. As cliché as it sounded, reality was much better than she could ever have imagined.

She, boring old Rose Weasley, had kissed the fantastic Scorpius Malfoy.

And sure, he didn't know who she was so that would probably be all she got to do with him. Still, Rose had never felt more joy. It was a step forward, a step toward her ultimate goal of dating Scoprius Malfoy. The kiss gave her confidence, allowed her to believe that something more could happen between them. All she needed to do was find the Gryffindor courage that flowed so easily through her cousins, and finally admit out loud, and eventually to him, how she felt.

However, that moment was not this moment. Instead of telling him who she was and how she felt, when they broke apart from the kiss, Rose blushed beat red and quickly looked away from him. There was a reason she hadn't been put in Gryffindor like the majority of her family. Nine out of ten times, her courage failed her.

"Did I do something wrong?" Scorpius asked, mock concern in his voice. Rose was positive that beneath his faux concern was actual concern. That hint of sincerity gave Rose an once of courage, and she was finally able to look at him.

"No, nothing," she stated, rushing her statement.

"You sure?" he asked, chuckling at her. Rose gained another once of courage and playfully shoved his arm. Rose couldn't believe herself in the moment. She'd kissed a guy she could barely talk to normally and was now playing around and, dare she say it, verging on flirting. If she came across this girl she was now, she would not recognize her in the slightest.

"Absolutely," she responded, managing to sound both assertive and coy at the same time.

"It's just, I've never kissed a girl and then had her not be able to look me in the eye. It's a little destructive to my self-confidence." Rose knew that her actions had very little effect on his self-confidence. Scorpius Malfoy had the most assured individual Rose had ever met. One girl's embarrassment post-kiss would not have that much of an effect on him. His sometimes-annoying self-assuredness was the one thing that Rose disliked about Scorpius; sometimes, he came across as cocky. However, his benefits, in Rose's eyes, far outweighed that one negative and she often found herself ignoring it.

"Well, I am a mysterious creature. You'll just have to get used to being surprised by me and having experiences you've never had before." Rose once again leaned in closer to Scorpius. He responded in kind.

"I like a little mystery."

The two were inches apart, reveling in the slowly building tension. They were just about to close the gap when a booming voice echoed from within the Great Hall. Instantly, the two shot apart and turned to the location the voice emanated from.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the voice of Headmaster Lipitz echoed, "I hope you're having a magical time." He chuckled at his joke, but no one else did. That fact seemed to throw him for a loop and a slight awkward silence followed. He quickly recovered and continued on with his speech. "As you know, midnight –the witching hour- is nearly upon us. Soon, it will be time for the big reveal. I ask that all students return to the Great Hall promptly, and at exactly midnight, we will remove our masks and reveal our true selves. See you soon!"

Rose's stomach dropped. She'd momentarily forgotten about the reveal at the end of the night. She'd have to take her mask off and show Scorpius who she was. Was she ready for that? She hadn't even been able to look at him after they'd kissed. There was no way she possessed the courage to reveal herself now, make herself that vulnerable. Taking off her mask would mean that she'd express her true feelings to him and the Quaffle was completely in his possession. He could either take it and score, choose her and make her the happiest girl in the world, or he could toss it away, reject her and leave her utterly and completely broken.

It was far too much for her in that moment. She couldn't do it, wouldn't take her mask off in front of him. She'd made her decision and she was going to stick with it. Revealing her feelings could wait for a time she was better prepared and more courageous.

"Well," she spoke, standing up and doing a slight twirl to face Scorpius once again. She extended her arm out to him expectantly. "We should head back up to the castle. Wouldn't want to miss the big reveal." As much as she tried to stop it, her voice still wavered with her last words. Either Scorpius didn't here it or chose to ignore it. He simply took Rose's hand and pulled himself up from his seated position.

"Oh, we definitely wouldn't want to miss the big reveal," he responded, winking at her. "I have desperately wanted to figure out who you are." He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "all night." Rose felt a shiver run down her spine.

Rose simply chuckled in response, not trusting her tongue to act in a reliable fashion. His actions had her seriously doubting her resolve to not show him who she was. What if he didn't reject her? It would be the most glorious moment of her life.

After a deep breath a step away from Scorpius, Rose's clear head returned once again. She decided that, despite how amazing Scorpius accepting her would be, she couldn't risk the opposite. She was simply not brave enough to reveal herself.

The pair continued their progress across the grounds and back into the castle in silence. Rose was busy deciding the best way to go about avoiding removing her mask in front of Scorpius. Had she not been so focused on herself, she may have wondered as to the cause and reason of Scorpius' similar silence. Instead, she was too lost in thought to realize or care. Just as they walked through the doors of the Great Hall, an idea formed in Rose's mind.

Nearly all of the student population of Hogwarts, fifth year and above was milling about. It was a great mass of people one could easily loose someone in. That was exactly what Rose planned to do, loose Scorpius in the crowd so she wouldn't have to show her face and then immediately leave the dance and head off to bed.

Rose was in the process of making her way towards the crowd when tinkling laughter filled her head. She turned to look behind her, the last spot Scorpius had been. Instead of the form of a solitary tall blonde male, Rose saw a collection of shorter blondes in short tight dresses surrounding Scorpius. He momentarily poked his head above the blondes and looked around worriedly, but was quickly pulled back down.

A deep sigh escaped her lips. This was definitely not how she'd planned, nor wanted, to loose him. It hurt her heart to see him surrounded by other women so soon after their magical kiss and evening. However, it had separated them and stopped Rose from having to reveal herself to him.

She sighed again, and slunk off into the crowd in search of her friends. She found them sitting around the table, talking animatedly. Rose quietly took her seat and turned in to the conversation waiting for her opportunity to speak.

"Now you know all about my evening," Ella spoke, looking exhausted at being grilled by Carly, "and Rose is back so you have another victim. I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow." Ella then stood and left and Alfie followed after her. Carly turned her attention to Rose, ready to begin her interrogation. As much as Rose wanted to share her amazing evening, she was starting to feel exhausted. She too stood, moving before Carly could begin her questioning.

"I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, Carly, but for right now I'm exhausted and in desperate want of a bed. I'll see you tomorrow." Rose then hurried after Alfie and Ella.

The magic of the night was fading. Rose knew that soon she'd change back from princess Cinderella to popper, cleaning her stepmother's house, Cinderella. Once again she'd be a nobody. Mostly, she found comfort in that notion. This evening was everything she was not, and she looked forward to returning to herself. However, a small part of her, the part that had stepped forward that night and acted so courageously, was sad.

Rose had been unusually brave that night and had gotten what she wanted most. Maybe finding the bravery again would yield similar results. All she needed was to do it without a mask.

With that thought, Rose took off her mask as she left the Great Hall and deposited it on the stair as she went. The action was a representation of her silent resolve to act more bravely without the mask.

* * *

_To be continued_

* * *

_**A/N: **__Only one more chapter to go! How have you found this so far? Let me know, please. _


	9. Chapter 8: Everything Returns to Normal

_**Disclaimer: **__It was the amazing JKR that created this world; I am simply momentarily inhabiting it._

* * *

**Le Masque**

**Chapter Eight**

**Everything Returns to Normal**

* * *

_You want me to act like we've never kissed, you want to forget_

_Pretend we've never met, and I've tried and I've tried, but u haven't yet…_

_You walk by and I fall to pieces_

_~Patsy Cline_

* * *

Rose lay awake, staring up at the ceiling. For the fifth day that week she'd woken up before her alarm. Every day, she'd just lay in bed, waiting for the beeping that signaled her to get up. As she lay there, she thought about everything that had happened the night of Halloween. Her sleep pattern had been severely disrupted because of it. Constantly and continually, her brain was replaying the dancing, the talking, and the kiss. If Rose wasn't enjoying the reminiscing so much, she'd find the constant thoughts incredibly annoying.

She rolled over and blindly searched for her watch, curious about the time. She felt like she'd been laying in bed for an hour and wanted to know how much longer she'd have to wait until her alarm went off. After several minutes of her blind groping, her finger closed around the cool metal of her watch. Sleepily, she lifted the watch and focused in on the time.

7:20 am. She had another forty minutes before her alarm would go off. Deciding that laying in bed for another half an hour or so would be a waste of time and drive her crazy, she got out of bed. As quietly as possible, she gathered her clothes and toiletries, and headed to the bathroom.

Rose turned on the light, carefully placed her things on the counter, and then surveyed herself in the mirror. She frowned at the sight before her and sighed in defeat. She'd inherited her mother's thick bushy hair and it took her a lot of time and effort to tame it. Today, she had neither the desire nor the energy to deal with it and simply pulled it up into a messy bun.

She then continued through her usual morning routine without too much thought. She mindlessly brushed her teeth, applied her make up, and got dressed. Having completed it all, she returned to the mirror and once again looked at herself. What greeted her was a reasonably pretty, but fairly plain looking girl. It was the best she'd ever been able to attain.

"Good enough," she muttered and turned to leave. Rose quickly checked the status of her roommates and found them all soundly asleep. She scowled slightly, disliking the fact that, because her mind would not shut off, she'd have to go to breakfast alone. Annoyed, she grabbed her book and bag and headed out the door to breakfast.

Rose quietly and slowly made her way through the hallways. For once, they were nearly completely empty and Rose chose to revel in the aloneness. She walked at a leisurely pace and took the long routes. She really looked at the portraits and paintings that hung in the hallways, even wishing some a friendly 'good morning.' For the first time in several months she felt relaxed and not stressed.

Ten minutes later, she walked into the Great Hall to a smattering of people across all the tables. Rose paid them little attention and headed to her typical spot on the Ravenclaw table. Usually, when Rose awoke early and headed to breakfast before Carly and Ella were awake, she at least had Alfie to keep her company. He had always been an early riser, often beating Rose down to breakfast. However, that morning, he was not at his usual spot nor anywhere else at the Ravenclaw table.

Rose sat down, made herself some cereal and a steaming hot tea, and tucked into her book. As much as Rose hated eating breakfast alone, it did provide her with the rare opportunity to read for pleasure and not have to deal with Carly's near-constant diatribe. It was a very peaceful morning indeed.

Suddenly, something dropped in front of her book. Rose was startled by the action and her book fumbled from her hands. As it closed on the table, she was momentarily upset by the fact that she'd lost her place. She then turned her focus to the object that had fallen in front of her.

Once again, she was startled. Sitting in front of her was her blue mask from the night of the dance. She was one hundred percent sure she'd left it on a stairway as she'd headed off to bed. How had it wound up in front of her now? Who had picked it up? Most importantly, who had connected it to her? The only people who should have known that mask was hers were Carly, Ella, and Alfie.

She looked up slowly, hoping and praying that it was one of her Ravenclaw compatriots. If someone other than those three knew her secret, that person could easily reveal it and if could eventually make it's way to Scorpius. Then, all the worrying and avoiding she'd done the Friday before would be for not. It needed to be her friends to save her from the trauma of dealing with her feelings being out in the open.

She first saw his long lithe fingers. Her heart sped up then stopped functioning. She'd seen those fingers before, spent countless hours watching them grip quills and turn pages. Deciding that delaying the inevitable would only cause her more harm and pain, she quickly looked up the rest of the way to his deep, entrancing grey eyes.

Sitting across from her at the table, looking relaxed and as if he belonged there completely, was none other than Scorpius Malfoy. Rose nearly fainted. Her vision blurred; her head swam.

Scorpius Malfoy had 'returned' her mask to her.

Scorpius Malfoy knew it belonged to her.

Scorpius Malfoy knew she, plain Rose Weasley, had been the mysterious red head from the dance.

Scorpius Malfoy knew he had kissed her.

Rose could have died in that moment.

Then he leaned forward and opened his mouth slightly as if to speak. Rose prepared herself for the rejection that was inevitably forthcoming.

'You're a great girl, just not the girl for me,' he would say in his deep, silky voice.

"I had fun at the dance."

Rose almost didn't hear what he said, consumed as she was with thoughts of his upcoming rejection. Then, once it did register in her mind, she figured she'd misheard him. She was just about to ask him to repeat what he'd said, and find out what it really was, when he stood from the table and walked away, out of the Great Hall.

Rose sat, rooted in her spot, opening and closing her mouth like a fish as she tired to process what had just happened.

'"I had fun at the dance"!? Is that seriously what he said? What did it mean? Does it mean he likes me? Enjoyed my company in that moment but would prefer it was just a one time thing? What?' Rose asked herself, trying to collect her thoughts.

She was still lost in her muddled sea of thoughts when Alfie finally arrived at the table. He took one look at her and instantly became concerned.

"Rose?" he asked hesitantly, extending his hand out to comfort her but stopping halfway, unsure of how to proceed. "Are you… okay?" Rose slowly turned her focus on Alfie.

"I- I don't know," she answered honestly. She turned away from Alfie to the doors of the Hall where, moments early, Scorpius had exited. Then she turned to her mask. The resolve she made the night of the dance came back to her. She once again turned back to Alfie.

"I don't know, Alfie." She stood from the table. "But I'm about to go find out." She then rushed out of the Great Hall after Scorpius. For years, she'd been too paralyzed by her fear of rejection to do anything about how she felt towards Scorpius. Now, she was paralyzed no longer. She was going to confront him, confess to him, consequences be damned.

It had taken a mask, and a magical evening, for Rose to find her Weasley family courage. She wasn't about to let it go to waste.

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_The End_

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_**A/N: **__Happy Halloween! Scare yourself! Eat tons of candy! Have a fantastic night! And drop me a review on how you found this story!_

_Also, I have a treat for you that should be showing up in the next few days so stay turned for that!_


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